The rolling or coiling of hoses can be a time consuming process. This is especially true for fire hoses which must be re-coiled after each use.
Typically, fire hoses are about fifty feet in length. Each end of such a hose includes a coupling which enables the hoses to be connected to each other in end-to-end fashion. This enables any desired number of hoses to be connected together to carry water from a fire hydrant or fire truck to a fire to be fought.
Although the hoses can be rolled manually into rolls after they have been used, this is a slow and labor intensive procedure. Also, it is difficult to wind the hose tightly when doing it manually.
There have been proposed different types of spools for winding fire hoses, but such devices have not been very successful. Some fire trucks may include powered hose winders, but such equipment is not portable and isn't of any use for rolling hoses at locations away from the fire truck (e.g., in the forest). Also, powered hose winders are expensive.
There has not heretofore been provided apparatus for simple and efficient coiling or winding of flat hoses (e.g., fire hoses) or other flat strip material.